Hameed Al Saeed, Aveora frontman and vocalist/guitarist of Majaz, walks down memory lane to recall one of the most defining moments of his musical career.
Nine years ago sometime around this time of year, a few friends and I decided to cover Pink Floyd right. Having started on the guitar for just about three years at the time, I wanted to challenge myself and I wasn't about to play Wish You Were Here again.
So I busted my ass off. Memorized every single note in the whole song. I must've played those solos hundreds of times until I was sure I got every bend, the dynamic of each note Gilmour hit on the original version, every articulation, every hammer-on and every pull-off right. David Gilmour was always an inspiration to me and when I wanted to cover any of his solos, I always thought I either do it right or don't at all.
"If there's one thing I've learned over the years as a musician, it is the importance and significance of the chemistry that binds musicians together"
Yes, it's true that I worked my ass off learning the song, but what I realized a few years after that concert was that no matter how many notes I memorized, or how hard I practiced on getting the feel of those solos, or how many live Pink Floyd performances I watched trying to nail the song, I still couldn't have done it without awesome people like Ali Milad, Ali Alqaseer and Hamad Dashti.
They made me shine on that stage, and that's when you know you're surrounded by the right people. It is as if I rowed the performance to it's final destination, but they were the vessel that carried the rower.
If there's one thing I've learned over the years as a musician, it is the importance and significance of the chemistry that binds musicians together. It is a bond unlike any other. And sometimes it is lost, other times it is found. Rain or shine, the divine power of music knows you way better than you think, and it will always carry you towards the people you're meant to have this precious chemistry with.
It is true we didn't even come close to doing it any justice, but for a bunch of 18-year-olds with very minimal equipment who just started out, I'd say that's a pretty damn good take.
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